Spring-motor.



H. L. PITMAN.

SPRING MOTOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.4,1912.

1,076,314, Patented 0015.21, 1913.

Iq I. v I I N I I vwem foz H. L. PITMAN.

SPRING MOTOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAE.4,1912.

1,076,314. Patented 0011.21, 1913.

I.v F I I. I I 1| a. v W

MBIA PLANOGRAPII (0.,WA5HINGTON, I). c.

H. L. PITMAN.

SPRING MOTOR.

APPLIUATION FILED MAE.4, 1912. 1,076,314. Patented Oct. 21,1913.

4 SHEETS-SHEET s.

COLPMBIA PLANOGRAPH 60., WASHINGTON, D. C.

H. L. PITMAN. SPRING MOTOR.

APPLICATION FILED NARA, 1912.

1,076=,3 1 4;, Patented 0013, 21, 1913.

4 SHEETS-SHEET '4. y

S" j k YOLUMBIIA PLA'NQGRAIH C0,. WASHINGTON. II- C HENRY 'L. PIllVEAN.or PINEVILLE, KENruc-KY.

SPRING-MOTOR.

'Specificationofletter'sPatent.

Patented'flct. 21, 1913.

Application fiIed March 4.1912] seam No. 681,351.

To all whom it may-concern: I

Be it known that I, HENRY L. PIT-MAN,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Pineville, in the county ofBell and Stateo-f Kentucky, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Spring-.Motors; and I do hereby declare the following tobea full, clear-,and eXa-ct description of the invention, such as willenable others skilled in the art to which it: appertains to make and usethe same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to theletters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part ofthis specification. y v

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in motorsand it relates more particularly to that class of motors in which spiralsprings arranged in series are employed, the object of the inventionbeing to produce a simple, practical and eiiicient motor of this type inwhich any desired number of springs may be employed arranged either in asingle series,

or-i'zontally or vertically disposed, or in two or more series, thesprings being inol'osed within protecting casings or shells and beingadapted to be wound simultaneously, the invention being designedprimarily for use in supplying power for actuating fans, sewing machinesor other light machinery, although it will at once he noted that thisconstruction Zmay be equally well adapted for supplying greater amountof power by the employment of heavier or more powerful springs.

To these ends and to such others as the same may pertain, the inventionconsists in i the peculiar construction, combination and: adaptation ofparts, all as will *bemore fully described, shown in the accompanyingdrawings and then specifically defined in the appended claims. 1

The invention is illustrated in the accomj pany'ing "drawings which,with the lettersi of reference marked thereon, form a part of thisspecification and in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a springi motor constructed in accordancewith myi invention, parts being broken away. Fig.5 2 is a plan view ofthe inner end of one of; the spring protecting shells showing the in- 1closed spring receiving member or socket to which the spring isattached. Fig. -3 is a detail view of the core and its receiving memberor socket, the same being shown as detached. Fig. 4 is a detail view ofone of the bearings and bolt carrying gear wheels forming a bearing forthe core, the parts being detached but shown in their relativepositions. Fig. 5 is a top plan view of a bank or series of shells withtheir inclosed springs, the same being shown as arranged in a horizontalseries, a portion of one of the shells being broken away to disclose thecontained spring. Fig. 6 is a side elevation of a bank or series ofshells with their contained springs, the same being shown as arranged invertical series. Fig.

7 is a likeview showing the opposite ends of the series of shells, partsbeing broken away to show the spring inclosed within one of the shells,and Fig. 8 is a front elevation showing the application of the motor to'a sewing machine.

Reference now being had to the details of the drawings by letter, Edesignates a frame in which a driving shaft B is journaled in suitablebearings and having a crank Gr fixed thereto upon which a handle G ismounted. A ratchet wheel B is keyed to said shaft adjacent to the endopposite to which the crank is fastened and a pawl 13 is mounted upon apin B upon the frame and is adapted to engage the teeth .of the ratchetwheel. Bolts E are passed through one side of said frame E and have nutsE mounted upon the threaded ends thereof and E designate heads to saidbolts. Conicalshaped bearing members D are jou rna'led upon saidbolts,and ball bearings D are supported by said bearing members. Gear wheels,designated by letters F, F and F have internal race ways resting uponthe ball bearings. Said gear wheels each has I a collar 0 projectingtherefrom, eitherintegral with or fixed to said gear wheel. A coiledspring 1) is mounted about the driv- 1 ing shaft B and is fastened atone end to i an ape-r-t-ureC in a collar C upon a gear wheel F and itsother end is fastened to the collar not shown and which projects fromthe ratchet wheel B I It will be noted that the gear wheels F and Fintermesh with each other at one side of the frame, while a similar gearwheel F at the opposite side of the frame is in mesh with a gear wheel Faffording means whereby rotary movements may be imparted from one gearwheel to another in a series. In order to accomplish this, it will be observed upon reference to Fig. 1 of the drawings that the springs arearranged in oblique relationship.

Upon reference to Fig. 1 of the drawings will be seen a core H, whichmay be either solid or hollow, the ends of which are adapted to enterthe collar C in which it is supported. Said core serves to preventlateral displacement of the spring, because of the excessive weight ofthe heavy spring, thus preventing any unnecessary weight being thrownupon the wheels. In order to secure the best possible results in the useof a series of springs and to compensate for the loss of power by thefriction of parts, I provide a plurality of coiled springs mounted onewithin the other, the ends of said springs connecting sleeves at theopposite sides of the frames. The employment of two or more springsrather than one heavy spring is more eflicient for the reason that thelighter springs, while furnishing the same amount of power, are far moreflexible than the heavier springs of the same diameter.

In Fig. 8 of the drawings, I have shown the application of my springmotor to a sewing machine through the medium of a flexible shaft K.

In operation, it will be noted that the turning of the crank arm G willresult in the simultaneous winding of all of the springs in the series,this being effected by a transmission of power through the means of thegear wheels from the spring contained within the first shell in theseries to that contained in the next adjacent shell and through themeshing of the opposing gears at corresponding ends of the shells, andfrom the second to the third by the meshing of the gears at the oppositeend of the second shell to the adjacent gear upon the third shell andthus continuously to each succeeding spring by the meshing of the gearsat the alternate opposite ends of the springs, as will be readilyunderstood.

Any suitable form of governor mechanism adapted to the purpose may beemployed to regulate the speed of the motor.

Having thus fully described my inven tion, what I claim to be new anddesire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A spring motor comprising aframe, gear wheels mounted thereon and arranged in intermeshing pairsalternately upon opposite sides of the frame, each wheel having a collarprojecting from the face thereof, cores supported within said collars, aspring about each of said cores and fastened to the collars of thewheels, and means for imparting rotary movement to the gear wheels, asset forth.

2. A spring motor comprising a frame, gear wheels mounted thereon andarranged in intermeshing pairs alternately upon opposite sides of theframe, each wheel having a collar projecting from the face thereof,cores supported within said collars, a spring about each of said coresand fastened to the collars of the wheels, a driving shaft journaled inthe frame, a ratchet wheel fixed to said shaft, a pawl engaging theratchet wheel, a gear wheel loosely mounted upon the driving shaft andadapted to drive said intermeshing gear wheels, a core about said shaft,and a coiled spring fastened at one end to the gear wheel upon saiddriving shaft and its other end secured to said ratchet wheel, as setforth.

3. A spring motor comprising a frame, gear wheels mounted thereon andarranged in intermeshing pairs alternately upon opposite sides of theframe and having collars, cores engaging said collars and supportedtherein, a spring about each of said cores and fastened to said collars,and means for imparting rotary movement to the gear wheels, as setforth.

4. A spring motor comprising a frame, gear wheels mounted thereon andarranged in intermeshingpairs alternately upon opposite sides of theframe and having each a collar projecting from the face thereof, coresengaging saidcollars and supported therein, a spring about each of saidcores and fastoned to said collars, a driving shaft journaled in theframe, a ratchet wheel fixed to said shaft, a pawl engaging the ratchetwheel, a gear wheel loosely mounted upon the driving shaft and adaptedto drive said intermeshing gear wheels, and a coiled spring fastened atone end to the gear wheel upon said driving shaft and its other endsecured to said ratchet wheel as set forth.

5. A spring motor comprising a frame, gear wheels mounted thereon andarranged in intermeshing pairs alternately and upon opposite sides ofthe frame and having each a collar projecting from one of its faces,cores engaging said collars and supported therein, a spring about eachof said cores and fastened to said collars, a driving shaft journ aledin the frame, a ratchet wheel fixed to said shaft, a pawl engaging saidratchet wheel, a gear wheel loosely mounted upon the driving shaft andadapted to drive said intermeshing gear wheels, and a coiled springfastened at its ends to the wheels upon the driving shaft, as set forth.

6. A spring motor comprising a frame, gear wheels mounted thereon andarranged in intermeshing pairs alternately upon opposite sides of theframe, each wheel having a collar projecting from the face thereof,cores supported within said collars, a spring about each of said coresand fastened to the collars of the wheels, means for imparting rotarymovement to the gear Wheels, and a protecting shell about each springand supported loosely upon said collars, as set forth.

7. A spring motor comprising a frame, gear wheels mounted thereon andarranged in intermeshing pairs alternately upon opposite sides of theframe and having each a collar upon one face thereof, cores engagingsaid collars and supported in said collars, a spring about each of saidcores and fastened to said collars, means for imparting rotary movementto the gear Wheels, and a protecting qshell about each spring andloosely mounted about the collars, as set forth.

8. A spring motor comprising a frame, gear wheels mounted thereon andarranged in'intermeshing pairs alternately upon opposite sidesof theframe and having each a collar projecting from a face thereof, the Wallsof which collars are apertured, cores engaging said collars supportedWithin the latter, a spring about each of said cores, the ends of eachspring being fastened in aper tures in the Walls of said collars, as setforth.

9. A spring motor comprising a frame, gear Wheels mounted thereon andarranged in intermeshing pairs alternately upon opposite sides of theframe and having'each a collar uponthe face thereof, the walls of whichare apertured, each Wheel provided with a shoulder about each collar,cores engaging said collars and supportedtherein,

a spring about each of said cores, the ends of each spring beingfastened in apertures in the Walls of said collars, as set forth.

10. A spring motor comprising a frame, gear Wheels mounted thereon andarranged in intermeshing pairs alternately upon opposite sides of theframe, each gear Wheel having a laterally extending collar, a coreengaging said collars, a bearing member mounted Within each collar andsupporting said cores, a spring about each of said cores and fastened tosaid collars, and means for imparting rotary movement to the gearWheels, as set forth. 7

11. A spring motor comprising a frame, gear Wheels mounted thereon andarranged in intermeshing pairs alternately upon opposite sides of theframe, each gear Wheel having a laterally extending collar, a coreengaging said collars, a bearing member mounted Within each collar andsupporting said cores, a stub shaft secured to the frame and to Whichsaid bearing is journaled, a spring about each of said cores andfastened to said Wheels, and means for imparting rotary movement to thegear Wheels, as set forth. i y

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix signature in the presence of tWoWitnesses.

HENRY L. PITMAN. Witnesses WM. Low, C. M. PERKINS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.

